Women's eNews (https://womensenews.org/author/catherine-makino/)
The country has lagged in protecting children from sexual exploitation. Critics say some catch-up laws didn’t go far enough and the culture continues to fetishize minors in such rampant and blatant ways that the intent of recent legal restrictions is being undermined.
The heckling of an unmarried female assemblywoman in Tokyo highlights a work-life imbalance problem that is tied to delayed motherhood.
News of a ruling in Milwaukee broke in late November in favor of Catherine Fisher’s 12-year legal struggle. “This victory is not only for her, but also for other victims of sexual violence by U.S. military personnel,” said one women’s rights advocate.
The All-Japan Obachan Party wants to engage more women in politics and shake up the male-dominated power structure. “I’m tired of old-men politics,” its leader wrote on Facebook in 2012, in a post that sparked the group’s formation.
Pregnant women and mothers of young babies in Japan are getting mixed signals about how far away they should be from the nuclear-power-plant disaster. With the government’s evacuation advice considered lax, volunteers are stepping in.
An 11-point list for reforming Japan’s legal response to sex-assault victims emerged from a weekend meeting of international advocates at a research institute in Tokyo. Barring police from questioning a victim’s sexual history was among them.
A Japanese economy minister recently told an international gathering of businesswomen that “Japanese women find pleasure in working at home.” Outraged women’s groups have staged protests and are calling on him to resign.
A Japanese mayor put eight elderly women on TV three years ago to promote tourism with their song-and-dance routine. Three years later, they are national pop stars who tap a new, more energetic attitude toward aging.
Married or single? Working full-time or part-time? Earning high or low? A few decades ago, Japanese women rarely attended university. But more choices and economic pressure have brought new polarities to their expectations.
Prada countersued the plaintiff in a harassment lawsuit July 12, saying she was hurting the high-fashion Italian company’s brand. Rina Bovrisse says the lawsuit gives her another chance to speak up for Japanese women who keep too quiet.